Stories this week at WFU

BUSH AND GOP HOPE FOR ELUSIVE 'BOUNCE'  A Wake Forest University expert says George W. Bush and the Republicans have been working hard during the GOP Convention to secure the traditional post-convention bounce in the polls, but the bounce could be tougher to come by this year than in previous campaigns because fewer voters than usual are undecided at this point. "The organizers of the Republican Convention are trying to get a bounce in the polls, and their main strategy has been to schedule speakers who can appeal to undecided and cross-over voters, as well as apolitical television viewers," said John Dinan, Zachary T. Smith Associate Professor of Political Science at Wake Forest and an expert on political parties, voters and elections. "This year's electorate is more polarized and fewer voters than usual are undecided at this point in the campaign, which may be one reason why John Kerry failed to get the anticipated bounce after the Democratic Convention in July." By scheduling speakers with broad appeal like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rudolph Giuliani, John McCain and Zell Miller, the Republicans have made an effort to court voters outside the typical party base.

STOP THINKING ABOUT YOURSELF SO MUCH  "Few people realize how profoundly their lives are affected by their self-thoughts or how frequently this inner chatter interferes with their success, pollutes their personal relationships and undermines their happiness," says psychology professor Mark Leary. In his new book, "The Curse of the Self" (Oxford University Press, August 2004), Leary explores how people create a variety of personal and social problems by thinking about themselves too much. Often, feelings such as depression, anxiety and anger occur because individuals cannot stop dwelling on some past failure or future worry. Leary will appear at local bookstores during the month of September.

WFU STUDENTS SHARE FREEDOM SUMMER EXPERIENCES  From 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 6, the 10 Wake Forest students who spent more than two months this summer working with grassroots agencies in Winston-Salem, Raleigh, Charlotte and Oxford, Miss., on issues related to race relations, education reform, neighborhood development and voter rights and education, will share their experiences with the community. The free, public event will be held in DeTamble Auditorium in Tribble Hall. The students, all from different cultural and racial backgrounds, participated in Freedom Summer 2004, an internship program designed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1964 Freedom Summer and to renew an interest in the unfinished work of the civil rights movement in the South. "At this event, we want to share our experiences from the freedom summer program and try to get Wake Forest students involved in the community," said Aja Brooks, a senior from Hobbs, N.M., who spent the summer working with the Winston-Salem agency CHANGE. Brooks and the other students from the program plan to start an effort to register voters on campus and in the local community. The group also plans to sign up students to help drive local voters to the polls on Election Day.

'ANGELS IN AMERICA' AUTHOR TO GIVE SEPT. 9 LECTURE  Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner will give a free, public lecture at 7 p.m. Sept. 9 in Wait Chapel. The event will be followed by a book signing at the College Bookstore, near the chapel. Kushner, an openly gay, Jewish socialist, is the author of several critically acclaimed plays, including "A Bright Room Called Day," "Slavs," "Homebody/Kabul," and the seven-hour, two-part epic "Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes." Although the lecture is free and open to the public, Kushner will not do any interviews during his visit. The lecture cannot be recorded.

COOL VIBES AND A NEW KIND OF JAZZ COME TO WFU  Stefon Harris, award-winning vibraphonist and composer, and his jazz quintet Blackout will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sept 9 in Brendle Recital Hall in Scales Fine Arts Center for the first concert in the 2004-2005 Wake Forest's Secrest Artists Series. Harris, who plays both marimba and vibraphone- sometimes simultaneously- composes and performs a unique version of jazz funk that is taking the jazz world by storm. Harris and Blackout, featured on Harris' latest disc release, "Evolution," have performed to sold-out crowds at The Kennedy Center and North Sea Jazz Festival. Tickets are $16, general admission; $12 non-Wake Forest Students and senior citizens. To order tickets before Labor Day, call 336-758-5757. After Labor Day, visit the Theatre Box Office or call 336-758-5295 between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays.

EXHIBIT POKES FUN AT ART ESTABLISHMENT  Wake Forest's Charlotte and Philip Hanes Art Gallery will celebrate the opening of two exhibits, "Inside the Ropes" by Ted Potter, former director of SECCA, and "Monumental Micros," at 7 p.m. Sept. 10. The exhibit will run through Oct. 10. Potter's large-scale paintings, which are based on friends with whom he has worked for the past 40 years, give a humorous inside look at members of the art establishment. "Monumental Micros" is a joint exhibition of small-scale sculptures by members of the Philadelphia Sculptors and Sculptors Inc. of Baltimore. Made from diverse materials, many of the works are no larger than a box of safety matches. Admission is free. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and 1-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

FREE LUNCHTIME CONCERTS OFFERED ON THURSDAYS  University Stores is sponsoring a Lunchtime Music Series of free concerts held every Thursday, weather permitting, from 11 a.m.- noon in front of the College Bookstore. Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket or chair and a bag lunch to enjoy the entertainment. The series was initiated as a way to thank the campus and the local community for making University Stores their choice for shopping and as a way to give local talent a venue from which they can promote their music. The series, which kicked off today, will continue with classical guitarist and Wake Forest senior Christopher Seal Sept. 9. Ensembles from the Winston-Salem Symphony, who will perform musical selections promoting future concerts, are slotted for Sept. 23 and Oct. 14.